“ On Wednesday, April 14, 1965 Kansas supreme court decided two lives must end between midnight and two in the morning”(54). Perry Smith and Dick Hickock managed the murder of the Clutter family. The two men responded differently to the arrest, jail time, and death sentences. Initially the arrest came as a shock to both men, neither had any idea to consider the possibility of the murder as the reason of arrest. On the fourth floor of the county courthouse lived Perry Smith. Over time Perry reveals himself as a character whose life revolves around childhood horror and brutality. Perry defines himself through his family abandoning him and nuns abusing him. Perry educates himself through reading and writing, besides the fact that he never passed
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He keeps a journal with him in his cell. In the journal Perry confesses to killing the Clutters. He spends most of his days writing in the journal or reading books. Perry enlisted in the army at one point in his life. He accompanied a man named Don Cullivan. While in the courthouse jail, Don writes Perry. Don wants Perry to convert to Catholicism. He also writes to Perry about continuing their friendship. In attempts to continue their friendship Don visited Perry in jail. The visit from his old friend gave Perry value to his family. He longed for his father or sister to write him. Unfortunately Perry did not receive mail for a very long time. During this time, Perry began to starve himself and he wished to give up on his life. Perry became weak for many weeks. Perry stopped starving himself after receiving a letter from his father. The letter spoke to Perry on a personal level. Perry’s father wrote asking how he felt about the trial. The act of Perry’s father being interested in Perry gave Perry an incentive to live. After the letter ,Perry began to eat once again and he gained back most of his strength. While in jail Perry dreamt often about a large yellow bird breaking him …show more content…
Dick grew up in Kansas and he marries twice. After marrying he took a path of criminal activity. He writes bad checks and ends up in jail. During his sentence, he hears news of the Clutters. Dick forces a friendship with Perry.Together they plot a robbery of the Clutter household. Dick’s interest heightens when he hears about the teenage girl, Nancy Clutter. Dick wants to rape Nancy during the robbery, however, he does not succeed. Dick continues to be the mastermind behind the entire murder, claiming the Clutters possessed high value goods. Dick shows that his motivation is money. Throughout Dick’s entire life he acts with lust, vanity, and greed. Dick spends six years in the courthouse jail cell. He never once remorses about murdering the Clutters. Dick only regrets getting caught, he blames Floyd Wells for “ratting him out”(135). Dick reads and smokes daily through his sentence. Dick portrays himself as a typical prisoner. Dick’s personality shows through in his alone time.Dick shows extreme confidence. At the same time he portrays a laid back and relaxed character. Dick’s education does not stem from a school setting instead he obtains his knowledge through street smarts. Dick shows his street smarts through robbery tactics and his way of life during the sentencing. Instead of dreaming about breaking out of the cell, Dick takes actions into
He keeps a journal with him in his cell. In the journal Perry confesses to killing the Clutters. He spends most of his days writing in the journal or reading books. Perry enlisted in the army at one point in his life. He accompanied a man named Don Cullivan. While in the courthouse jail, Don writes Perry. Don wants Perry to convert to Catholicism. He also writes to Perry about continuing their friendship. In attempts to continue their friendship Don visited Perry in jail. The visit from his old friend gave Perry value to his family. He longed for his father or sister to write him. Unfortunately Perry did not receive mail for a very long time. During this time, Perry began to starve himself and he wished to give up on his life. Perry became weak for many weeks. Perry stopped starving himself after receiving a letter from his father. The letter spoke to Perry on a personal level. Perry’s father wrote asking how he felt about the trial. The act of Perry’s father being interested in Perry gave Perry an incentive to live. After the letter ,Perry began to eat once again and he gained back most of his strength. While in jail Perry dreamt often about a large yellow bird breaking him …show more content…
Dick grew up in Kansas and he marries twice. After marrying he took a path of criminal activity. He writes bad checks and ends up in jail. During his sentence, he hears news of the Clutters. Dick forces a friendship with Perry.Together they plot a robbery of the Clutter household. Dick’s interest heightens when he hears about the teenage girl, Nancy Clutter. Dick wants to rape Nancy during the robbery, however, he does not succeed. Dick continues to be the mastermind behind the entire murder, claiming the Clutters possessed high value goods. Dick shows that his motivation is money. Throughout Dick’s entire life he acts with lust, vanity, and greed. Dick spends six years in the courthouse jail cell. He never once remorses about murdering the Clutters. Dick only regrets getting caught, he blames Floyd Wells for “ratting him out”(135). Dick reads and smokes daily through his sentence. Dick portrays himself as a typical prisoner. Dick’s personality shows through in his alone time.Dick shows extreme confidence. At the same time he portrays a laid back and relaxed character. Dick’s education does not stem from a school setting instead he obtains his knowledge through street smarts. Dick shows his street smarts through robbery tactics and his way of life during the sentencing. Instead of dreaming about breaking out of the cell, Dick takes actions into